The Aftermath
by piercing pen
Summary: This is about what everyone is feeling after Dumbledores death. Characters include McGonagall, Remus, Harry, Ron, Hagrid, Draco, Hermionie, and Snape.
1. What will I do?

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Harry Potter would I really be writing fanfiction?

**Authors Note:** This is my second fanfiction ever! Wish me luck, I hope it doesn't suck!

Chapter one: What will I do?

**McGonagall's POV**

Tears poured silently down the deputy headmistresses cheeks as she thought quietly to herself.

_He's gone._

_I can't believe it._

_First Sirius, now him._

_The most powerful wizard ever, gone forever. _

_  
Dumbledore._

_And killed by Snape, too. I can hardly believe it. I always trusted him. Dumbledore, you fool. Why did you let him stay on? All those years! I believed you, I trusted you. You let your killer stay in this school! _

_You must have known, you had to have known._

_  
No offense to your memory, but you are rather naïve at times. But I didn't think that much so. _

_How did you not see through him?_

_No, there isn't any way you would do something that…Silly. No way. Impossible. You were the most brilliant wizard ever. Even V-v-Voldemort knew so. Oh how silly, I am even stuttering at his name in my thoughts._

_You always told me not to fear the name. I promise I'll speak it, or at least try to._

_Ok?_

She felt a large lump in her throat as she thought about him. He was her best friend. She smiled sadly at the thought of his twinkling eyes. She almost laughed at the memory of him offering her a lemon drop when they dropped off Harry at the Dursley's. what were those things anyway? She looked in his giant desk, and found a small bag. She had never had one before. _These aren't half bad _she thought as she sucked on one. It saddened her to realize that this wasn't his desk or his lemon drops. As Deputy Headmistress, for the time being they were hers.

She lost all composure; any dignity she had been trying to save was gone. She ripped at her hair (which was down, surprisingly. She had undone it after leaving the hospital wing after hearing the news of Dumbeldore's death) and screamed softly between sobs "noooo….all gone….why…."

_Dumbledore, I have to run this school without you now. I don't know how. I might have to close it. I know you'd hate that. But our returning student list is rather small. _

_How do I run a school without you?_

_What will I do?_

**Authors note: **I was trying to capture the full anger and misery I think McGonagall must be feeling, and I hope I succeeded. I request that you review this but obviously I cannot force you…so pretty please?


	2. The inner wolf

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Harry Potter, pigs would be flying right now. For you slow people, it is physically impossible for a pig to take flight, so owning Harry Potter is impossible (at least for me) also.

**Authors Note:** This is Remus's emotions, and I hope I can convey them with justice.

Chapter 2:The inner wolf

He could feel the wolf rising in him, angry and bloodthirsty.

_NO_ he commanded his inner self _You will not be a monster. You are a human._

He wasn't transforming, but he was so angry that his inner wolf was writhing inside him in fury.

He threw his head in his hands and choked down a sad howl. He could feel the sting of tears on his face.

_No…please no…_

_First my best friends...Lily…James…Sirius…even the traitor peter who is dead in my eyes._

_Now Dumbledore…_

_No, this can't be happening._

_SNAPE!  
_

_What could make him go so horribly wrong?_

_Dumbledore bent over backwards- He got him out of prison for god's sakes! And how does Snape repay him? He FUCKING kills him!_

He was surprised at his thoughts- he rarely swore or was so violent. He wondered how one thing could affect so many people so much? One person, the center of all this sadness and anger and death.

_If I ever see Snape, I will kill him. How dare he take away one of the only people who didn't see me as a bloodthirsty monster! HOW DARE HE! _

_Harry has to defeat Voldemort, he HAS to. It is the only way to make all his hard work worthwhile._

_WHAT WILL I DO?  
_

_I don't know what I'll do if another person dies. What if its Tonks next, or Mad-eye? Worse, what if it's Ron, Hermione, or Harry? So young. They don't deserve to go through this again._

_No. I am going to wake up soon, and I will be in 12 Grimmauld place and Dumbledore will be there and all of the order, and none of this will have ever happened._

He waited for himself to wake up.

To his immense dismay, he didn't, and only sobbed more, not bothering to choke back the howls of rage, not worrying about his hands tearing at his skin in fury.

_No…please…not again…please just not again…please_

**Authors note: **I hope I have not displeased anyone, but if I have, tell me why by clicking dun dun DUUUN the review button


	3. What now?

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Harry Potter, I'd be writing an actual book and not an E-book on a fanfiction sight!

**Authors Note: **This is the chapter containing what hmmm….how about Ron. How does that sound? I hope it is satisfactory. But of course I won't know unless you READ AND REVIEW!

Chapter 3: The End?

_Shit._

_What do I do?_

_What can I do?_

_Dumbledore. He's gone. _

Ron's face scrunched involuntarily, partly due to shock, partly due to the overwhelming amount of emotion.

_This is horrible_

_What about the Order? What about Hogwarts? Will it stay open? Will the Order survive?_

_Why can't I understand all this?_

_Everyone else knows what goes on._

_Why not me?_

_  
Why did Snape have to kill him? Dumbledore was supposed to be smart or something!  
_

_No! Something must not be right. Something must have happened. Maybe it wasn't Snape. Maybe….POLYJUICE POTION! Maybe another death eater took it and…._

Even as these desperate thoughts raced through his mind, he knew it wasn't true.

Dumbledore simply tried too hard to see the best in Snape.

_How could Dumbledore be that much of an idiot though? He was all knowing! But he didn't see that coming? _

_What now though? What is going to happen to the school? What now? WHAT NOW!_

**Authors note: **This was really hard, because I've never thought of Ron as an emotional person, so I tried to keep with that. But obviously, despite the fact that he's emotionally immature, he is going to be sad.

JUST REVIEW PLEEAAAASE


	4. Why again?

**Disclaimer: **NO! for the LAST time I do NOT own Harry Potter!

**Authors Note:** Now for Harry's feelings. This will hopefully be somewhat alright, I shouldn't butcher it too much. Just wish me luck with the writing and REVIEW!

Chapter 4: Why again?

Harry laid out on his bed in the dormitory. Everyone else was at dinner, so he was alone. He didn't bother to take off his glasses to wipe away the seemingly unstoppable flow of tears from his eyes.

_Why again?_

_My parents, Sirius, and now Dumbledore._

_So many people affected by one person, and all in an attempt to get me._

_Should I really stay around? I mean, this is obviously all my fault. Voldemort came to my parents and killed them to kill me, and for a horcrux! Voldemort used my Godfather to lure me to him. I was stupid and it was my fault, Sirius came after me, and I can NEVER do anything to fix it…why did I have to go to the ministry? Always have to play the hero, as Hermione said. And then, Dumbledore killed, and I now it was to make it easier to get me. I don't want to do this anymore._

_I can't take it!_

_This has all been my fault! _

_all my fault…._

_Why do people continue to suffer? Its all my doing. Hundreds of people will not be at Hogwarts next year, because it will probably close. So many people have had parents, relatives, and friends killed, because he came back. He wouldn't have if I had just let Diggory take the cup. Oh my god, that's horrible of me. I didn't like him, but I wouldn't want him to have faced that alone._

He felt a scream rise up in his throat.

_WHY AGAIN? Why me, again! Why do I have to kill him, and now not only face him but face him alone! I have one life, one life to live. He has made it so he can have as many as he needs! How will I do it without Dumbledore? Now that the only man he was afraid of is gone, there is nothing that I can do. _

_WHY DID YOU HAVE TO TRUST HIM? WHY SNAPE! I told you so many times that he wasn't trustworthy, and you never listened! You are just as stubborn as I am! Why didn't you listen to me?  
_

_Why is there so much death? Why did another good person have to die? Why again?_

**Authors note: Yep. I'm in an update frenzy. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	5. It's all gonna change now, innit?

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Harry Potter I would be partying right now and not writing this fanfic story!

**Authors Note: **Thank you very Much for the reviews. I think this shall be…ummm. HAGRIDS SECTION! Review my lovelies, now I must write!

Chapter 5: All gonna change now, innit?

Hagrid sat in the dingy room of number twelve grimmauld place with Buckbeak near his side. Tears ran down his red, puffy face and were lost in his beard. He was drunk; a bottle of firewiskey in his large hands was drained down to the last drop. This wasn't a happy-drunkenness though; this was one of pure misery.

"A'ight Buckbeak?"

Beaky looked up at him sadly. He seemed to know something was wrong. The knowing look in his eyes made Hagrid sadder.

"Beaky…" he trailed off purposelessly.

_Ah, Dumbledore…greatest wizard o' all time…now yer gone…dunno what I'll do… I suppose I'll wither up and die…know ya wouldn't like that tho'…I guess I'll just try to survive._

Beaky looked up at Hagrid again. He put his head on his lap, much as fang normally did. But much less slobbery Hagrid noted.

_Arrgh, Dumbledore. Me house is gone, now you're gone…what'll become of Hogwarts? It's me home! I really hope McGonagall doesn't shut it down. Where'll I go? I can't live here forever…_

He remembered his old home. He'd been there as long as he could remember. He smiled fondly at being able to teach. Finally, he could do something helpful and worthwhile! And all because of Dumbledore (and Harry of course!). He hoped they could repair his hut. _Ah well. I can rebuild it. I built the first one meself…ah I remember…right after I was expelled…Dumbledore was so proud…very few of his students coulda made that hut without magic, or at least he said. _

_I'm gonna miss ya Dumbledore. I'll keep tryin' to make ye proud though!_

"it's all gonna change from now on, innit beaky?

**Authors note:**I'd like to apologize for misspellings, I was just trying to mimic Hagrids way of speaking and all…REVIEW pretty please!


	6. This isn't what I want

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Harry potter, I wouldn't be righting a disclaimer.

**Authors note:** I asked my sister, and she thinks I should do Malfoy next.

Chapter 6: This isn't what I want

Malfoy sat in Dumbledore's office, Dumbledore still on the ground. He felt something whip by him, and turned in time to see Harry fly down the stairs.

_You know, I've never liked him anyway. He always had it in for me. And he was always playing favorites to Potter and his mudblood and blood traitor friends. He had it coming; he was foolish._

Even as he tried to reason with himself, to find an explanation for why the old man had deserved to die, he knew deep in his heart that he didn't.

_Yes, he did deserve it. It was coming and he knew it. He was weak. As the Dark Lord says, there is no good or evil, only power and those too weak to seek it, and Dumbledore was weak and had to die. If the herd has to be thinned, then so be it._

Even as he thought these things, he knew they weren't true. Tears ran swiftly down his slightly flushed cheeks. He saw that Dumbledore's glasses were askew. He crawled over slowly and righted them. He noticed that though the sparkle was gone from his eyes, they showed no hate or anger, just love and forgiveness. He could not help but weep as he thought of the kind headmaster who he had just witnessed die, and could not help but think about what lay ahead.

_I know I will have to join the Death Eaters. It should be a wonderful opportunity to please my father, as he has always been disappointed with me. I should be happy to finally be able to serve my lord._

He thought about all the murders that had occurred since the Dark Lord's return. He thought about the reports his father brought home, how triumphant he seemed every time a family of muggles were killed. He reflected on how his father had told him happily about how he and his friends had gone and killed witches and wizards who had married muggles. He felt sickened as one particular memory surfaced in his mind: his father had brought home a small human skull, and when Draco had asked him, he had been told that it was a muggle babies skull, which had been take and cleaned by his father and was going to be put on display, like a trophy.

_If I join the death eaters, I'll have to kill innocent people. I'll be forced to torture people based on their parentage or beliefs, and kill wizard babies of muggle born parents. This is what I've been brought up to do; this is what I should want._

_But I don't want to see another person die; I don't want to hear another person plead for their life. I don't want to be responsible for torturing babies._

_This isn't what I want._

**Authors Note: **Thanks to my sister for editing and revising this.  Please review.


	7. Just Thinking

**Disclaimer: **Isn't the point of a fan fiction site to write about/on a story with characters that are made-up and owned by someone who is not you?

**Authors Note:** ahh…who to do next….eenie-meenie-mynie----HERMIONE!

Chapter 7: Just Thinking

Hermione was in the Gryffindor common room. Ron had passed out about 6 hours ago, with the help of a dreamless sleep potion from Madam Pomfrey. Hermione had declined Madam Pomfrey's offer of a dreamless sleep potion, and now sat awake in front of the dying fire, just thinking.

_I wonder if the school will remain open. Is Harry going to be alright? I hope he doesn't blame him self for this like he did Sirius' death. There isn't any possible way this could be his fault though. I mean, it was cold blooded murder! If it's anyone's fault (aside from Snape's…evil git) it is Dumbledore's…I mean, if he hadn't frozen Harry, maybe Harry could've saved him somehow…or maybe if Dumbledore hadn't trusted an accused death eater. Either way, it isn't Harry's fault._

She had her leather bound journal in front of her, but had long since ceased to attempt to write the turmoil of feeling and emotion which was whirling around her mind. She slowly watched the fire smolder and began to shiver due to the drop in temperature. She picked up her wand and muttered, "Incendio," without much thought as a fire began to burn almost happily in the fireplace.

_You know, I am really hungry. I could go for a bit of chocolate right now._

She suddenly froze, stunned. It hit her that despite the fact that Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard on the planet, had died, life still went on. Ron was asleep, and obviously would continue to sleep throughout the rest of his life. She was cold and hungry, and had solved and could solve both of those problems, and would have to as long as she lived. They would all have to go on living. It saddened her slightly. She couldn't imagine living without Dumbledore. At the same time, she was nearly happy; they would keep on living!

_And in the end, isn't it really the will to live that will defeat the Dark Lord anyway?_

Hermione smiled as Ron slowly woke up.

"Hey Hermione. Whatcha doing?"

Hermione smiled and replied "Just thinking"

**Authors Note: **Credit to my sister for editing. I'd be nothing without her, as I am horrible with basic grammar ).


	8. What have I done?

**Disclaimer:** FOR THE LAST TIME I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER!

**Authors Note:** You may wonder why it is I have said for the last time in my disclaimer. I don't mean the last time forever, but this is the last chapter. These are Severus Snape's thoughts. I hope you enjoy the last chapter of this fanfic. Please review, I am anxious to hear your thoughts.

Chapter 8: What have I done?

Snape ran through the forbidden forest. He knew this trail well, and he knew it would lead to the border of the school where he could escape. Though it was rather cold outside, sweat still poured off of his forehead, partly due to the long run he was enduring (the path was roughly 9 miles long and he had already been through about 3 miles) and partly due to nerves. Almost frantic thoughts rushed through his mind.

_**It was simply time to choose sides, and I chose the strong side.** _One part of him rationalized.

_You killed him because you didn't want to break an unbreakable vow and die. _The other part said.

Harry's voice echoed through his head, screaming, "_COWARD."_

"No," he panted aloud, "No, I'm not."

_When had Dumbledore ever been rude to you? Did he ever spit on you like so many others had? _

**_No,_** his other side had to admit.

_No, he never has been rude to you, has he? Did he DEMAND that you let him live?_

Dumbledore's last words rang through Snape's head like they had been shouted, although in reality they were only a whisper when they were first spoken _"Severus, Please…"_

_No…he got you out of Azkaban, too, didn't he? _

**_Yes, he did. But he was weak. He should've protected himself; he's certainly powerful enough to have. _**

_Come on, you and I both know that it wasn't a fair fight. The Dark Lord told you what was at the Horcrux at the lake. He was weak, yes, but that was because he had drunk infirmitas potion: you know what that is._

**_YES I know what it is: the sole most debilitating potion ever created…I know, it causes the most damage without death; more so than any curse or other potion._**

_So the fight was very unfair. You were very very wrong._

Snape had reached the halfway point. He sat down at the base of a tree. He had some grace, now; no one could find him here.

But he did not have any grace or break from the thoughts running through his mind. No, the inner battle raged on, one thought in particular circling dominantly over all the others.

_What have I done?_

_**-END-**_

**Authors Note:** Thanks to my sister for editing. Thank you for the reviews also. I shall write again!


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